Today is the first birthday of… the Creation Museum!
(Which, by Creationist math, makes it approximately 1/6000th the age of the universe…)
It was only a year ago today when atheists and theists joined forces to denounce the museum as utterly void of science. Our hope was that people would recognize that this museum was purely religious and not-at-all based on fact.
We still have ways to go.
For creationists, the heart of the issue is defending their faith in a world where evolution is taught in public schools and everything from natural history museums to television shows back it up.
“The secularists are out there, and they’re pushing all sorts of information to children – they’re going to hear enough about evolution over the years,” [Answers in Genesis founder Ken] Ham said.
“All sorts of information”? Yes. It’s called “education.” Which is more than the museum offers anyone.
Sadly, more than 400,000 people visited in the past year.
I’m curious how many of those people will be repeat customers. It’s not like you’re going to see any new or updated information if you go back next year. Creation Science doesn’t exactly evolve… (pun very intended).
The museum needs 200,000 to 250,000 visitors a year to stay financially stable, but if it sees lower attendance figures in the next year, Ham said the museum might make cuts to seasonal or part-time employees or cut back on plans for new exhibits.
Still, Ham and [spokesman Mark] Looy are optimistic that the museum’s second year will also be successful.
“The museum right now is successful, but other museums and other zoos will tell you you have to go through the second and third years to see what you’re going to expect,” Looy said. “We’re not going to say we’re going to have 400,000 (visitors) every year.”
Looy said he’s hopeful that at least 300,000 visitors will come to the museum in the next year. His estimate is based on an increasing number of tour groups – large groups of tourists, often church groups – that have made reservations to visit already.
I’m also curious — though I know numbers for this are not available — how many people went to the museum simply to see what trash they were peddling…
(via EvolutionBlog)
[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]
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